Dae's Christmas Past (11 page)

I didn’t know what to say. Her gifts were incredible. I shouldn’t have been surprised that the bird saw what had happened outside town hall. I was glad anyone else had seen him, even if it was only a crow. I told Mary Catherine and Kevin about the man who’d warned me about the horses.

“Maybe he was warning me about the horses anyway. I’m not sure. He was scary, just like the men I’d seen in the vision I got from the stone horse. He spoke some odd language I couldn’t understand. He kept waving around a large bone. I don’t want to know where it came from.”

“Oh my dear.” Mary Catherine took my arm. “That must’ve been very frightening for you.”

“I don’t know if it was any worse than the group of people waiting inside town hall. Everyone is upset about the horses. To make it worse, Jake was there too. He was half out of his mind and told everyone that the excavation in Corolla was evil and had to stop. Nancy called the police. What a mess.”

“What’s going on out there?” Kevin asked. “I wonder if the police have looked around the site on Jake’s property.”

“The new Corolla police chief, Heidi Palo, said she’s over there all the time breaking up fights. Funny that Chief Michaels and Sheriff Riley are out looking for Jake and he was right here.” I squinted at the far horizon. “I guess everyone is done eating.”

Mary Catherine pulled out a box. “I had them put yours in a to-go box. I didn’t want you to be hungry.”

“Thank you.” I took my little box of tomatoes, shrimp, and rice. “If nothing else, I’ll eat it for dinner.”

“What are you, and the rest of the town, going to do about this thing with the horses?” Kevin asked. “I’m sure this won’t be the only visit to your office about it.”

I figured it was the perfect opportunity to ask him about being on the town council. “You could help us make that decision.” I dangled the opportunity before him.

“How? Are you going to do some kind of poll?”

“No. We need two people to be on the town council until LaDonna and Mad Dog’s terms expire and we hold a new election. Interested?”

“I don’t think so,” he bluntly answered. “I’ve got a lot on my plate right now with the Blue Whale. I’ll leave the politics to the politicians.”

“Then you can’t complain about what happens.” I warned him using the same words Gramps had said to me about being mayor.

He put his arms around me. “I think one politician in the family is enough.”

Mary Catherine giggled. “In the family, eh? Are you expecting the wedding to be anytime soon?”

My face got hot. I wasn’t used to the idea of being engaged yet. It was still a lot to take in. “I-I don’t know,” I stammered.

“No rush,” Kevin said. “We’ll figure out a date later.”

I was glad to hear him say it, and hurriedly changed the subject. “I hope the horses don’t come back so we won’t need to have another impromptu meeting about them. I expect to hear something from Chief Michaels later about how Tom actually died.”

Kevin nodded. “The longer Jake is on the run, the worse it will be for him. I don’t like him, but I thought he had more sense.”

I knew he was right. I wished Jake would turn himself in and get it over with. He’d been acting so crazy at town hall. I was worried about what would happen if the police didn’t find him soon. He could hurt himself or someone else.

Kevin had to go back to the Blue Whale to set up an author’s tea. The author was from out of town, staying there overnight. Jamie from the bookstore was handling book sales. It was a good mutual effort that I loved to see happen between businesses in Duck. I fostered it wherever I could, though this time it had nothing to do with me.

Mary Catherine and I went back to Missing Pieces for the afternoon. Customers were in and out. They mostly looked around, ignored me, and left. Some days were like that.

“I remember being in this same position after I opened the shop next door—sitting and waiting for customers. I’m not a very patient person. Radio has been better for me. I still couldn’t sit around waiting for a sale like you do, Dae.”

I was standing behind my glass case that held some of the more valuable items I had for sale. Some of these things could only be given or sold to certain people. The bigger items were in the back closet. I didn’t show those even though some of them were very valuable. I had no intention of selling them. There was no amount of money I would take for them.

My laptop pinged and I checked my email. Dillon Guthrie had sent me a message from the old site of Jamestown in the Caribbean where he was still busy looking for antiquities. He planned to be there for a while and asked if I’d changed my mind about joining him.

While being there for the salvage operation would have been fascinating, I told him again that I couldn’t leave Duck. My life and my commitments were here. He’d never understand my feelings because he moved from place-to-place on a whim. There was no romantic interest between us, at least not on my part. He just wanted someone to share his passion for ancient artifacts. I could do that, but it had to be from here.

I’d already told him that ATF agents were looking for him. He wouldn’t come back until that was over. I didn’t know why they wanted him, and I didn’t want to know. Agents Brad Jablanski and Allen Moore stopped by regularly for a while after Dillon had left. As time had passed, I saw them less frequently.

It had been a bad situation for me. With being mayor and the daughter of the former Dare County sheriff—not to mention that my boyfriend was ex-FBI—anything that didn’t smell right was impossible. I’d always kept my dealings legal. I didn’t plan to change that regardless of some of the amazing merchandise that could be had.

One of my rules for finding things for people had always been that it had to belong to that person, and it had to be legal. I had bent that rule for some people that I knew very well, but I wouldn’t change it for most.

I sent my email to Dillon. He wouldn’t be surprised when I turned him down again. I didn’t regret it. I loved my life.

“Oh my goodness!” Mary Catherine said from the burgundy brocade sofa. “What’s going on?”

Hundreds of moths had somehow come inside and lighted on her. She was covered in the brown, white, and orange creatures. They made a fluttering blanket across her.

“Quiet, Baylor,” she hushed her cat. “It’s not funny, and you can’t eat them.”

Treasure meowed when he looked at her. Baylor hissed at him. Maybe if he couldn’t eat the moths, neither could my cat.

“Are the moths trying to tell you something?” I watched in astonishment. “I hope they aren’t here to eat my winter coats.”

The shop door opened and a breeze blew in, displacing the moths for an instant, but they came right back to Mary Catherine.

“What in the world is going on?” Shayla came in, closing the door behind her. “Is she talking to the moths now? Did Kevin tell you about the crow incident at Wild Stallions? I think she really can talk to animals. Maybe moths too.”

“They tickle a little.” Mary Catherine laughed. “If they have something to say, I wish they’d say it. I feel bad moving and disrupting them, but I have an itch on my shoulder.”

Shayla took in a big gulp of air, and her eyes widened. “Wait. I know this one. Moths sometimes are the harbingers of spirits. People used to believe that a spirit could catch a ride with a moth and visit their loved ones.”

“I don’t know anyone who’s died recently,” Mary Catherine said.

“Maybe it’s something to do with the horses,” I suggested. “You didn’t know him, but Tom died right outside the house last night.”

“Don’t ask me.” Shayla shrugged. “I’m just repeating a story I heard as a child. Maybe you just need an exterminator, Dae.”

“Let me take a picture of you.” I used my phone to snap a photo of the moths. “I don’t know what to say. Are they talking to you?”

“I’m not sure. I’m listening, but I don’t hear anything.” Mary Catherine closed her eyes.

Shayla shook her head and looked away from Mary Catherine. “I wanted to do this Christmas thing with everyone, but I’m going to have to head home for a few weeks. There’s some trouble with my crazy family. Could you keep an eye on the shop for me? I don’t expect you to read tea leaves or anything. Just don’t let any horses trample through it.”

I noticed that Shayla was wearing a long, black dress and carrying a large leather shoulder bag. “You’re leaving right now?”

“One of my clients has a private plane and offered to take me to New Orleans if I could be ready right away.” She shrugged. “That’s a lot of money to save on a ticket.”

I hugged her. “Okay. Well, let me know how it goes. Be careful.”

“You be careful, honey. You’ve got the crazy ghost horses running around Duck. Next time you hear them, get out of the way.”

“I will. Have a good trip.”

“Sure. And Merry Christmas.” She smiled, and was gone.

I had an odd feeling that she wouldn’t be back. I couldn’t describe it, but it felt very real. I hoped I was wrong, and if not, that it was something wonderful that kept her in New Orleans. I’d miss her.

Mary Catherine opened her eyes. “I’m just not getting anything. The insect mind can be very difficult to understand. They have such a different perspective on life.”

The door to the shop flew open again and the moths fluttered out of the shop.

This time it was Nancy. “Dae, you won’t believe what just happened.”

“Try me.” Nothing she said would surprise me.

“Chris went up on the water tower to hang a Duck Christmas banner. I don’t know exactly what happened, but he called to tell me that he’s hanging from a rope and needs help.”

The three of us walked out on the boardwalk and gazed toward the big blue water tower. There was Chris, hanging upside down, with a rope attached to one ankle. The Duck Christmas banner was draped around him.

“I called the fire department,” Nancy said. “I hope they have a ladder that goes up that high.”

It struck me that the best thing to do would be to pull him up to the steel ladder that went around the water tower. “Let’s get over there in case they need our help.”

The water tower was close by and we were prepared to walk, but Mad Dog Wilson was in the parking lot with his deluxe golf cart that seated six people. He was on his way to the scene, so we hitched a ride with him.

I hoped the bad blood between us that had happened during the election was over. I wanted it to be in the past, and I hoped he did too. He’d been friends with Gramps since I was a child. He was also one of the founders of Duck’s incorporation.

“Whose bright idea was it to have the town manager hang a sign on the water tower by himself?” Mad Dog glared at me as if he already knew the answer.

“Not mine,” I told him. “We never hang a banner up there. He didn’t even tell me about it.”

“He wanted to surprise everyone for the Christmas event,” Nancy said. “He didn’t even pull the public works guys to help him.”

Mad Dog huffed at me, all six-foot-four, three hundred pounds of him, grimacing in disapproval. “That’s even worse. People who work for Duck shouldn’t be making those kinds of decisions. That should be up to the mayor and the town council.”

He was probably planning to get his old seat on the council back. I hoped the council would agree that Mad Dog shouldn’t make decisions for the town anymore. We needed fresh blood, as Cody Baucum had said.

I didn’t bother commenting on his words. He didn’t say anything else to me either, and pushed the limit on how fast the golf cart would go. We arrived at the water tower a few minutes later.

Cailey Fargo, the fire chief, was already on hand. Her volunteers were in turnout gear around her. I waved to Gramps, Kevin, and Luke Helms who were in their boots and helmets.

I didn’t see Tim or Scott, our police officers, or Chief Michaels. The public works guys—Roy, Shelton, and Harry—were up at the top of the water tower, waving down to everyone as though they were trying to get our attention. Chris was still dangling by one leg. I hoped he was all right. I couldn’t tell from the ground if he was conscious.

“Is he okay?” Jamie finally got there from the bookstore. She shaded her eyes to look up at her husband. “What was he doing up there?”

“He didn’t tell you either?” I asked her.

“No. I would’ve remembered if he was planning to jump off the water tower.”

“He was trying to hang the banner.” Nancy pointed to the swath of white material that was covering most of him. “It was something special. He even paid to have it made.”

Jamie shook her head. “Well it’s
very
special. Has anyone talked to him?”

“He called me,” Nancy said. “He couldn’t find the fire department’s number on his cell phone.”

By this time Cailey, Luke, and Kevin were climbing up the narrow blue ladder that led to the top of the water tower. Everyone else was on the ground, watching to see what happened. More people crowded in at the base of the tower, some with binoculars and cameras. The event was causing a big disturbance right in the heart of Duck.

I was watching Chris when I saw the man in the animal skins who’d tried to speak me at town hall. He was standing on the ground, near one of the metal legs that supported the tower. He was staring right at me. I wondered if he had anything to do with what had happened to Chris.